The Crimson Kite
by Edwina von Beckenbauer
Summary: Reaching the final cut scene in her favorite game Assassins Creed 2, Alexandra is pulled by a strange woman into her television and into the world of Assassins Creed. Can she survive in this dangerous situation? Story rewrite - Original from 2010.


Chapter One: Escape from the Italian Capital

There is in this world a theory which states that there is an endless and infinite amount of parallel dimensions. In the modern age these worlds have taken the form of stories; myths and legends that hold the words of possible things the existing world could have been. Many of the stories in which the population enjoys are in the form of virtual reality games. A player will take control of a character and proceed to live out their life for them. They will become attached to the person inside of the screen; they share each of the characters sorrows and pains. This emotional connection is what creates a memorial game. Although, it is not a game which the person behind the screen plays: it is indeed their life. An alternate history which the modern society had not experienced, but these thoughts did not cross Alexandra's mind as she sat in her college dorm that evening. She was trying to forget the terrible day she had had earlier. The worst day at work she had ever experienced, the call to her parents in which she told them about the fifty she got on one of her midterm exams. All she wanted to do right now was forget with one of her favorite games; Assassins Creed. The series had been her favorite on the Xbox for quite a long time, and tonight it was just her and Ezio Auditore.

As the sun was setting she was smashing the buttons aggressively down on her controller, reveling in the victory as his enemy feel before him. Smiling she tried to quell the excitement and joy she felt building up in her chest. Alexandra had watched as Ezio had grown from an immature man who was only set solely on revenge, but now that was not everything he wanted. Character development had always been her favorite part of the series. Leaning back as the cut scene started she set the controller on the bed behind her and shifted into a more comfortable position. After Ezio had descended into the vault a strange golden woman had materialized before him, for a while she spoke half looking at Ezio, and the other towards where the camera would be. She was looking through it and speaking directly to someone else, was it her? Leaning forward Alexandra became enraptured by the woman's words; almost to the point where their meaning was completely lost on her. Shifting in her seat the woman reached forward to her television which was only arm's length away. She had meant to just touch the screen to reassure her sense of reality: that this video game was not actually trying to speak to her but it had to do with a different part of the story. Perhaps the golden woman was actually talking to Desmond? The man who was actually diving into Ezio's past to learn about the artifacts that the game was so focused on.

Instead to her surprise a hand reached out as she reached forward. It was golden, and a woman was attached to it. A head and shoulder was poking out of her screen and Alexandra was face to face with a woman similarly built to the other one; which was still actually on the screen but the picture had been blurred as the other woman's form continued to extend from the screen. Alexandra froze, her mouth hanging slightly open. _Things like this should be impossible._ The woman let out a joyous laugh and grabbed onto Alexandra's still outstretched hand. Pulling her forward and into the small screen. A vortex of rapidly shifting colors materialized around her, swarming and disorientating her vision. In a panic she looked about for the woman who had grabbed her; but she was no longer around instead she had been replaced by the vortex which was now moving and pushing the college woman's body downward. Or at least that was what if felt like to Alexandra, the area she was in had no true up or down and her inherently horrible sense of direction could not even tell her if she was falling or floating. _Things like this shouldn't happen._ She wondered if closing her eyes would make the fall faster; that if she closed her eyes she would hit the ground and perish perhaps waking up in her bed. That's right, maybe this entire thing was in fact a dream in which she would just wake up from. Twisting in the air Alexandra attempted to take a breath, then panicked when she found she could not. She was about to scream when she saw a hole open up in her nightmare: it was a ways off but she could make out a familiar black cloak and a golden figure standing before him. The second thing she registered was that the ground was coming up quickly, and dream or not she was not about to let her face get crushed. Raising her hands she attempted to shield her face, and finally let out the scream she had been holding in.

The ground came up hard; and it hurt.

"What could you even be speaking about? There is no one else in this sanctuary but you and I!" Ezio's frustration was peaking as he angrily called out to the strange woman. He was quite bothered by her very existence; but it was angering him further that she was speaking off into the air as if someone was in the room with them. Or if someone was about to appear like magic, which because of the very room he stood in and its impossible nature did not seem out of the realm of possibility. Finally, because of his fussing the woman turned to him, frowning down at him as if he was a child and then telling him harshly that he needed to remain silent, that yes he was indeed important because he was the prophet but at the same time he was not the one whom she needed to speak to. That pushed the man over the edge; clenching his teeth together he contemplated leaving the vault, just to spite her, and to take away whoever she was speaking to, because clearly it was linked to him being there. When suddenly, the blue wall beside him burst forth with an array of colors and a bright light before depositing a woman onto the glowing tile. Turning he took a step back, " _Che Diavolo!"_ gazing at the female he watched as she sat up and stared at the heels of her hands. They were badly scratched and bleeding, from where he stood, which was very close to her, he could also pick out that there were quite a lot of dirt a small rocks embedded in the cuts as well. Moving his gaze to look at her face, it had tears staining her cheeks and her mouth was open and she was panting hard. Her entire body was shaking and the woman's eyes seemed glazed over as if she was trying to shake off a state of lingering fear.

"Where, where am I?" Her voice was soft as she looked about, Alexandra was trying to stave off an intense state of confusion which tempted to overtake her at any moment. Turning her head to the side she noticed the man she had seen through the vortex's portal. He was dawning a black cloak with many adornments and weapons; the hood shaded a good portion his face but left the bottom of his nose and his mouth bare for all to see. The mouth she gazed at the moment was turned down in a grimace which was probably because of her sudden arrival. There was a delicate scar which twisted with his mouth. Briefly she was fascinated with how his mouth moved, but was quickly torn away from it by a glint of light coming from something that was on his clothing. Attached to his arm was a heavy looking wrist cuff which actually extended up a good portion of his arm; there was a glittering blade on the underside of it from what she could tell. As she looked at it Alexandra quickly realized that she was indeed in pain, and this defiantly was not a dream because it was actually making too much sense. Her body's shaking was finally calming down as she looked about the room: there was blue stone and glowing glyphs which decorated the walls. She was no longer in her dorm room anymore, shifting so that she was looking down at her dirty and bleeding hands she frowned. Where, had that golden woman taken her, and why? A little stronger than before, Alexandra posed the question to whomever was listening once more; "Where am I?"

There was a light ringing noise and suddenly there was a golden hand before her. In an unearthly voice the golden woman Minerva had extended a welcome to Alexandra. The college student looked up at her with the light frown still gracing her brow. "Well child," Minerva spoke softly. "Welcome to your true destiny."

Alexandra winced as if she had been struck and leaned back towards the wall, away from the woman's hand. This caused a deep glare to appear on the golden woman's face and she stood up letting her hand fall to the side. The woman on the floor finally remembered what she had been pulled into and where she was. This was the vault, and the woman in front of her was in fact Minerva. That meant that the man beside her was in fact Ezio Auditore. Alexandra turned her head to look at him; he had regained his composure and had taken a few steps back after the holographic woman had come forward to greet her. With a quick look down at her hands again she blinked in disbelief. She was in her game; she was in Assassins Creed Two. Clenching her hands she looked back up at Minerva. "What do you mean, my true destiny?" Her voice was shaky; Alexandra was scared. At the same time though. She had to understand what this woman meant. Was this something she could avoid, how could she get home?

Trying to take in the situation Ezio crossed his arms and stared at the golden woman. She had been disgruntled by the child's reaction to her words and it also seemed that her defiant tone had caused the golden woman even more trouble. What could she mean that this scared girl's destiny was here? What did she even mean _here?_ The word itself was vague and troublesome. Turning is trained eagle eyes on the crumbled girl on the floor he assessed if she was a threat or not; which she clearly was not. Her clothing was strange, she had a baggy shirt on which was so long it looked like it went all the way past her hips. It had some form of picture on it which he could not read nor even attempt to understand. So ignoring it he looked at the rest of her; she wore pants which was not uncommon but the state of her feet caused him to pause. It was not the fact that they were shoeless it was that the soles of her feet where pristine. There was no dirt nor any calluses on them. Perhaps she rarely left her home which would account for the lack of wear. Raising his eyes to her clenched hands he noted that there where light scars on her knuckles. These could have been caused by a number of things which he quickly dismissed because the chance of them coming from a fight was less than likely. Squinting Ezio turned his gaze to her shrouded form. Because of the baggy clothing it was hard to tell what exactly her body looked like. One thing was for certain though; she was soft. There was barely a hint of muscle and her breasts where rather large, and most athletic women he knew had smaller breasts. Shifting his weight onto another leg he noticed her concerned face last. Her skin was pale and her lips a very light pink, likely because of her youth. They were rather thin, but framed her rounded face rather beautifully. Her almond shape eyes, blue like the raging ocean stared intently at the woman. Her hair was disheveled and a peanut color, it was also rather long and stopped at her shoulders. All in all the Auditore thought she was a rather beautiful woman. Reaching his hand up he tapped his chin, returning his attention to Minerva he found that she was beginning to speak to the young woman.

"Alexandra," Minerva cooed softly. "You must understand we have in need of your talents."

Ezio paused; was this the woman of whom Minerva wished to contact through him? Was this girl, Alexandra the reason why he was the prophet?

"You don't make any sense," Alexandra shook her head. "Your people where not gods, nor would you need my assistance. I don't… I shouldn't, _be here."_ The crumpled woman's words trailed off as she realized her situation was not as simple as it seemed. "Why would you need me?" She whispered.

Minerva chuckled. "You are wise for your age child," She turned to look at Ezio, but continued to speak to Alexandra. "We were foolish and are in need of one with knowledge beyond our own. We sought out what you are. We will med our own mistakes." Alexandra felt her heart pick up; they wanted to mend their mistakes? How? How would bringing her to this world fix their mistakes? At this point, Alexandra was not entirely sure if this was not a dream or not. Logic stated that the dream she was in – if it was a dream – was making too much sense for it to be one. Thus including the sharp pain she felt in both her knees and her hands and the soreness that throbbed all over her body, logic says that no this is not a dream. This was now her reality.

 _The Assassins Creed Universe was now Alexandra's reality._

"Please, Prophet, help this child up onto her feet. She is frightened and confused and we need you to help her stand up." There was a double meaning behind Minerva's words and it was realized by both Alexandra and Ezio. So, in defiance Alexandra stuck out a stubborn chin at the woman before her. Despite the rising panic she was determined to not need this golden woman's assistance. Minerva was all sorts of strange to Alexandra. Placing both of her scraped hands on either side of her body she moved her legs so that she firmly sat squatting and then pushing off she stood. Trying to ignore the lingering pain and wobbly nature of her limbs. Minerva paused and gave her a smile, which was filled with a kind of acidic emotion that Alexandra could not identify. "Well, Alexandra. As I have stated before, you have a destiny to fulfill here. We leave it in your capable hands." Bowing Minerva looked at Alexandra squarely in the eyes before disappearing. It seemed that the recording had finished; that's right, Minerva had stated just before Alexandra had been pulled into the television that her speaking was a recording. That means her kidnapping from her home – her time period – had been planned well in advance.

With this realization Alexandra found that her legs could no longer hold her up and once again she felt the hard cold ground on her rear. "Ow," She let out with a breath. Tears where appearing in the corner of her eyes again, but she tried to hastily clear them from her face.

Beside her Ezio sighed, the girls final act of defiance had been admirable and something he wished he could have done but as she was now, she was just another scared child. Minerva had at least been right about that. Coming forward he let a smirk briefly dance across his face before he leaned forward, extending his hand with a soft question gracing his lips. "Madonna?"

Looking up at Ezio Alexandra realized that the view closer was much more preferable than the one she had when she first fell into the room. Finally being able to see his brown earthen eyes staring down at her, she felt a light blush creeping up her neck. His lips where full, and sensual the perfect kind of lips to get lost in when kissing. His nose was straight, and large and she thought it fit his face perfectly. Alexandra was lost in taking in all the details; having only ever seen him through a screen never did him true credit. Ezio was beyond a handsome man. But his face was serious; there was not even a trace of a smile on those lips of his. The stern expression made her wonder what his smile would look like if it graced those handsome lips. Looking at his hand she frowned at it a moment before looking back up at him. She never thought in her entire life she would ever be this close to Ezio; a man that was once fictional to her.

Ezio wanted to shift at the awkward pause that they had, he had his hand extended to her. He saw no consequence in helping her; she seemed like a damsel in distress and regardless of what Minerva had asked he was helping her out of his own power. Not because she told him to assist her. He watched as her hand reached out to his gloved one, grabbing onto it firmly. He encircled his hand around her gingerly, she seemed fragile to him regardless of how heavy her frame was. Planting his feet firmly on the ground he pulled at her arm helping the wounded and shaken woman to her feet. Physically now that she was closer he could see that she indeed was a beauty: if a slightly heavier beauty. Her eyes where indeed captivating, but she seemed just as confused about the situation as he was. He placed a hand on her back as she seemed to lean into him. Ezio gazed down at her; she had resumed shaking but no sound was coming from her. Perhaps she was silently crying? He grimaced lightly; the assassin had no real training in how to deal with women crying. It always seemed different with his mother or sister, and the women he had courted rarely cried in his presence. This woman, Alexandra, did not seem to be from Italy although she did speak Italian rather fluently, but rather than finding this odd Ezio found it convenient. Maybe she could assist him in finding some answers about the apple since Minerva had said it was her destiny to be here. Gazing down at the frightened woman he frowned a little more deeply. He did not want to take advantage of her though, not matter how much he wanted to understand what the artifact was.

Alexandra had been a woman who played video games as a pass time to forget about her terrible days. She had been a spoiled child from a middle class family and had gotten into a university with slight ease. Everything had been planned out for her since she was a little girl; what life could she possibly lead in the Renaissance? Things where so drastically different than her modern world, and being told she had a destiny to fulfill in a land that she had no ties to bothered her even more. She was an American; a mutt from the melting pot and nothing more. There was nothing amazing in her bloodline.

 _Destiny was such a big word._ It was a weight that was now pressing on her shoulders even though she was being lightly held by the Italian man. Besides her mundane and spoiled nature she was also just a woman that was hard headed – and hot headed – with a strong sense of justice. Trying to fight back tears she stared at Ezio chest. Perhaps it was enough, just being who she was could be all she needed to survive in this world. Looking down at the hand which was still incased in Ezio's she frowned at it. The arm she gazed at had been grabbed by the other golden woman, and as she stared at it her ring finger glowed. It was a soft red light which she thought was just a glow off of one of the assassin's daggers, it took her a moment to realize that it was her finger that was creating the glow. The finger gave its light for a second, then left her in darkness once again. Above her, Ezio cleared his throat, seemingly unaware of the red light. "Perhaps, we should leave. But it looks like you are unable to stand up without assistance at the moment." His words where not venomous but they held quite a lot of irritation. There was also a sense of urgency to them. She frowned again, realizing that of course they would be urgent the place they stood was not very safe.

"Perhaps, I am sorry about the intrusion." She pulled back and smiled warmly. This man was her only key to this world, and she was not about to let it slip away. Of course she did not really think that he would let her leave either: she was tied to Minerva and Ezio probably thought that he could get answers from Alexandra. "Are you going to do what Minerva says and help me?"

"I am not about to leave a maiden alone. _Io sono un gentilumono._ " Now sarcasm was bleeding into his words; it was obvious he meant them but at the same time he was offended that she even asked.

Alexandra smirked. "You want me so you can understand what she meant." Alexandra called it out as it was; she knew Ezio really wanted answers. She also took her hand from him, but kept her other one against his chest for support. He in turned left his arm on her back in case she lost her balance. Gazing up at him she was met with a frown.

" _Si,_ I do want answers. Would you not if something like this happened to you?" He cocked his head and looked down into her eyes. This woman truly was curious in her perceptive nature.

Alexandra's demeanor deteriorated when he spoke that sentence. "This is happening to me." She growled.

The large Italian man rolled his eyes in reluctant agreement. " _Si,_ I suppose it is indeed happening to you." There was another pause between then before Ezio stepped slightly away and towards the door. "In regards to statement I suggest we move to my _villa_. I have people I must report back to, and since I have a feeling that that woman wanted me to bring you with me you must accompany me."

She frowned, despite Ezio growing up she could still see the obvious arrogant man that lingered in his personality. "And I am to do what you say?" Alexandra murmured angrily.

"Do you know how to safely get out of this place?" A playful raising of Ezio's brow graced his face as he turned to look at her. Finding it humorous that she thought that she honestly had any other choice than to come with him. She paused, and Ezio watched as her own face went through the emotions. First her face turned up into a surprised angry expression, then turned down into a frown – as if she was attempting to think of a way out of the situation – finally there was an expression of acceptance. That, no, she had no other choice than to go with the large Italian man. Her face was a clear indication of her emotions and Ezio liked that, what bothered him was the fact that while her face showed that she understood she had no choice but to accompany him she did not mind it. In fact it almost looked like she was slightly eager to come with him. Pushing the thought aside Ezio focused on the task at hand, even before she agreed.

"Fine, your right I don't have a choice." Beside him she sighed and crossed her hands over her chest in a sign of false defiance.

" _Eccelente."_ He muttered neither approving nor disapproving of the situation they had both been thrust into. Reaching out he mentioned to his hand, which she took without a second thought. Tucking her arm under his own he led them out of the vault and into the building, swiftly leaving the area and exiting out into the streets of Rome. As they passed by a group of brown cloaked men Ezio stopped and bargained one of the men for their robe. After a moment of Alexandra's weak protests and Ezio's tempting the man with a good sum of coin he managed to get the cloak and took them down an alley way. Taking the fabric he placed it over Alexandra's shoulders and began to fit it around her in a proper fashion.

"It smells." She muttered. Once he had placed it on her she began to fiddle with the draw strings as to try to fit it about her form in a more fitting fashion.

"Bear with it _Madonna._ It will only be until we reach my home. Your clothing is quite unusual and unfitting for the city." Crossing his arms he watched as she muttered fowl words and continued to fiddle with the strings. His gaze intensified as the cloth became tight around her curves, and against her breasts. Ezio then frowned, perhaps he should have bargained with a larger man for their cloak. This girl was curvier than he had originally thought. Finally when she had finish she looked back up at him expectantly.

Alexandra had fit the clothing as best as she could around her, then proceeded to look to Ezio for guidance. When she did though she noticed that he was actually bleeding, and that his black cloak was slightly soaked from blood she had not noticed before. "Your arm," She breathed reaching out to attempt to help him. "You're hurt?"

Ezio quickly moved away from her and grabbed her, tucking her securely under his undamaged arm. "It is nothing, pay it no mind." He brushed off her query and made them once again return to the swarms of flesh that walked the streets. Rushing ahead, the pair began to draw attention and gained a lot of onlookers. Many where focused on Ezio's wounds, and others on Alexandra's form. Hearing the lewd comments from a group of men, calling out to Ezio asking how much she had cost caused the assassin to straighten up in his posture and glare. This girl was perhaps still a child, he did not know how old she was but he could tell one thing; in this great world she was an innocent, a virgin. While she attempted to hide the wonder that crossed her face as they passed by grand buildings told him that much. These men had no right to ask such inappropriate questions.

Then Ezio noticed a group of guards to their far right. Trying to maneuver them so that they were blending in with the crowd he realized quickly that they had noticed the common folk watching them and where now moving toward them. He let out a quiet breath which contained a curse and pulled Alexandra closer; while at the same time with his wounded arm pulled down his hood. Ezio moved faster; it was almost a full run. This was when he noticed that she was having trouble keeping up with his gait. Biting his lip he tried to keep an eye on the advancing men, Templars by the looks of them, and how the woman was breathing. She tried to keep it quiet, but it was obvious she was out of breath. Shifting so that he was slightly behind her he pressed her back against his chest and put his hands on her hips for support so she did not slow down. "Please try to keep up with me, and continue to silence your breath as well as you can." He spoke in low towns, leaning down so that he whispered in her ear. "There are some men who are looking for me close by, we need to get away as quickly and quietly as possible." Ezio's brown eyes darted back up towards the swarming masses that where being parted by the approaching guard, then he gazed around for an escape route. Finding one he let a smile Alexandra could not see appear on his lips.

When Ezio had leaned down to whisper in her ear Alexandra had blushed madly; along with his chest against her back she suspected they almost looked like lovers to the strangers that walked beside them. But Ezio's words had contained a warning, and Alexandra had only just noticed the men that approached them in formation. Fear was rising like bile in her throat, and even as she felt her comrades arms tighten around her waist in response to her sudden ragged breathing, she was not comforted as much as she had hoped to be. It was likely because she knew Ezio could kill of the men before them with ease; he was a killer but at the same time she absolutely had to trust him. Something she could have done when she was behind a controller, but she had no control over the situation now. Besides, could he kill them and get away with her as a hindrance? He had clearly stated that he was not about to leave her behind.

 _He was a gentleman after all, right?_

There was a weak nod that answered Ezio, and a bit of pride rose in his chest. He felt good about her listening to his instructions. Tucking her safely against his chest, the assassin actually felt safer than he would when he was alone. Which was an odd sensation as this girl obviously had no combat training and could barely keep up with him. It just felt right in a way to him, which should have concerned him but did not. His entire adult life had been him losing something in one way or another, gaining something precious was not a treat he was going to question. Although understanding that he should still not let his guard down as they were in danger and could not run very far he focused on the escape route he had planned out. Even when the sounds of the guard's weapons unsheathing reached his ears he remained focused. When the alleyway came up on their left the assassin pulled them frown the crowd and made them jog a little ways before he felt they were safe. There was some angry shouting as the guards lost them.

In the dark alleyway Ezio had not released his grip on Alexandra, even though the danger had passed for the moment. Letting out a ragged breath she did not even know she was holding Alexandra leaned back into the assassins embrace to catch her breath. He did not move, in fact he placed his forehead against the back of her head and let out a sigh. Seemingly enjoying her leaning against him. While a section of her was scared of the man, the majority of her was in awe that he was beside her. Alexandra had to put her trust in a man whom she only knew through cut scenes and her own actions behind a controller. _It was stunning that this man actually was existing behind her now he was not a figment of someone's imagination not pixels and numbers but a living and breathing human._ Ezio Auditore's life when he was still a video game character had felt so intimately wrapped around hers from the start, she had shared everything with him. His up and downs in life, the shock, the fear and the excitement. Even the confusion when he first encountered the woman Minerva, and then, that encounter had turned even more confusing when she had ended up sharing the floor beside him.

This world was no longer something within a console, Alexandra could hear thousands of voices speaking and the footsteps of the owners of those voices echoing in her ears. _This world was her reality._ This was no longer fiction, this was not a dream. She was pulled through her television and was given a task; _live._ Reaching down she placed her hands on Ezio's which still held her hips and sighed.

"Have you caught your breath _ragazzina?_ " Ezio moved his head back and tilted it so that he could look at the side of her face as she turned to look at him.

"Did you just call me a little girl?" It was slowly dawning on Alexandra that she was actually speaking Italian and not her native language. This was not something that she was going to let Ezio know though. As compared to the other things that had happened earlier that day, suddenly knowing Italian was the least concerning.

The man chuckled though at her question; as the alley way was dark she could not tell if he was smiling because of the hood's shade. "It seems fitting. You may be a woman from wherever you are from, but here you are nothing more than a little child learning how to walk."

Her lips twisted down into a frown as she contemplated what he had said. Then, she sighed again. "Yeah, you are right."

"Besides," The large man finally released and pulled away from her momentarily. "The name, Alexandra that is what she called you _si?_ Well, its Greek origins would attract unwanted attention at this time _,_ and as we want to get out of Rome as quickly as we can I feel like this nickname would serve a good purpose." He returned to her side and tucked Alexandra under his unwounded arm once again. At this point the woman was sure that he was smiling.

"Did you just try to rationalize calling me a little girl?" She frowned, trying to hold back a laugh. "Because it did not work and I still think you just want to call me a little girl because you think I'm younger than you."

" _Ragazzina_ I am almost certain you are younger than me." Ezio looked down at her with a sarcastic frown.

"Right, how old are you?" As Alexandra asked this they began a leisurely walk towards the other side of the alley. Their banter was light hearted and actually gave the two of them something other than their situation to worry about.

Ezio paused at the question though. "I believe I am in my thirties. I cannot know for certain though, many a time I have forgotten my own day of birth." His hand pulled at Alexandra's shoulder trying to get her in a comfortable position against his side. Which she did, by wrapping one of her own arms around his side. With an audible huff she leaned into him once again.

"I am only twenty two." Alexandra muttered tilting her head to the side slightly, only for it to bang against Ezio's armor.

"Ah-ha! I have every right then to call you a _ragazzina_ , for to me you are one." There was triumph in his tone; but it did not upset Alexandra, instead she was pleased the small victory made him joyous. It was pleasant to have a moment with Ezio when they were not concerned about what was happening to them or around them. The moment of bonding between the two was welcomed and craved.

They chatted for a bit as they went down the long alley getting to know each other a little better. Mostly it was surface questions, composed of their favorite food and colors. But as they came to the end of the alley the banter quickly fell to the side and Ezio became the focused assassin once again. Pulling his new found friend closer to his side the dove them both into the well-lit streets and began to maneuver them through the labyrinth of roadways. His end goal was the gates, but realizing that they had taken their sweet time in the alley put a quick damper on his plan. The guards where sure to have organized a squadron to guard the gates. No sooner had he thought this did he see it come into fruition. They closed in on the gates only to see that there was a blockade barring them from their intended freedom. Clicking his teeth together in frustration he pulled them out of the main road way and into another shadowed alley. Quickly he turned to Alexandra who was only slightly out of breath, placing his hands on her shoulders he looked at her chaotic ocean eyes for a moment, then pulled down his own hood so she could easily look into his brown ones. "Alexandra," He started. It was the first time he had actually spoken her name. Part of him was confused why he had avoided it, her name was quite fitting to her round face. It rolled of his tongue naturally – but this was something he ignored in favor of the task at hand. "Alexandra," He started again. "We cannot go through the gates,"

"Yeah, I saw the guards too," She nodded. "Do you have a plan?"

Ezio was starting to enjoy her perceptive nature. "Yes, we need to go across the rooftops. They will not have a many men up there and it will give us a perfect get away." Even as he said this he realized how foolish the idea was, no matter how quick on the uptake she was she could not even keep up with his walking pace. How did he expect her to run?

When she had seen the men at the gates Alexandra had feared that this was an inevitable outcome. But it was something she could not do, looking solemnly at Ezio she reached up and placed her hands on his which were still resting on her shoulders. "I do not have the stamina, nor training to climb or go across the rooftops." She began. "I am not like you, I am not a…" _Assassin._ Leaving her sentence to fall away into obscurity she looked away from him for a moment. "Perhaps if you go without me, I can make it past the guards."

Her idea was admirable, but not something Ezio wanted to chance. If the guards recognized her she could get hurt, or worse. He studied her carefully: her body looked heavy but he actually doubted her weight. She was close to his height but he had carried heavier men before. A smirk flashed across his face. "No need to sacrifice yourself, I will just carry you. I trust you have enough stamina to hold onto me as I scale and run?"

Alexandra blinked. "Yes?" Part of her question his sanity but she trusted him so she spoke without hesitation.

" _Molto buno._ " Turning around and crouching he looked back over his shoulder at the slightly bewildered woman. "Well? Get on. We can't wait this time, they are surely scouring the city in search of us."

With a heave of her chest she walked over and wrapped her arms around Ezio's neck, then he proceeded to grab her legs and stand. She hooked her ankles around his waist and tried to make herself as small as possible while shifting to try to minimize the pinching sensation of Ezio's armor on her breast. After a moment making sure she was on securely Ezio then moved to a wall and began to scale it with ease. With her heart pounding and her face once again flushed, Alexandra buried her face into his shoulder. Attempting to ignore the feeling of his muscles moving under the layers of clothing and armor. _Ezio Auditore was strong._

Ezio should have not been distracted from his task, as it was quite important to their survival, but he was. The assassin focused on moving his body correctly to get them where they needed to go but his mind was wandering and actively studying how Alexandra's body fit to his own. While her body was quite soft, it seemed to fit better against him than he thought. She was not so small that he dwarfed her, but she was not so big that her form over flowed from his. There was perhaps a bit too much fat on her body but at the moment it was actually welcomed. It kept a cushion between the two so that no real heavy bruises would appear on her body. After scaling the wall he pulled the two of them onto the roof, checked her grip and finding it satisfactory grabbed hold of her thighs in preparation of his running. He secured his grip and began, taking a running leap and landing with ease on the other building. Once he fell into a rhythm he returned to his analyzing. Height wise she was almost as tall as he; perhaps their difference was as much as a dagger's hilt. Ezio's thoughts where broken abruptly when he landed again on another rooftop, he felt Alexandra's arms tightened around him in fear. Was she afraid he would let her fall? In response to her fear he moved his arms so that his hands rested on her rear. Hoping to give her a bit more leverage to hold onto him. Her fear slightly offended him though, he mentioned earlier he was a gentleman. A gentleman would never let a lady fall to her death. That brought up another question in Ezio's mind, _could he think of Alexandra as a proper woman?_ She had been pulled abruptly from a different place, perhaps a world that was not like his own. This woman was now an orphan, with no family and no understanding of the world around her.

In many ways _Ezio could relate to her._ He had similarly been thrust into the world, and had been equally alone. Snapping back into reality as he leapt over another building he saw the goal in which he was trying to accomplish: the wall at the edge of the city. It was going to be tricky as the wall was higher than the buildings. His earthen eyes searched for a foot hold, and seeing a window he turned and began to sprint for it. On his back there was an intake of air as they were once again flying in the emptiness between structures. Moving his hands from her rear though he grabbed hold of the wall with practiced ease.

This was of course when he felt Alexandra's grip slip.

It was only a moment, but Alexandra felt her strength beginning to fail her. She didn't know why, perhaps it was because her hands where sweaty and her ankles where starting to cramp. One of Ezio's arms flew from the wall and onto her hands as they slipped and held them together. This gave her a brief moment to focus on her ankles, keeping them from unlocking. Ezio then doubled his efforts to get up the wall, and even with one hand they somehow managed to get to the top. Alexandra quickly dismounted from Ezio's back and shivered, she was still standing close to him and he to her. He grabbed one of her hands and after checking around them to make sure there were no guards close by he turned to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his frown was clear as the setting sun shined on it. The assassin had forgotten to put up his hood in the chaos.

She sighed in relief and leaned forward placing her forehead on his chest plate. "Yeah, just feeling really weak."

Ezio's frown deepened. Maybe it had been a bit much asking her to hold onto him for such a long period of time. Returning to look around them once again Ezio took note that there were some guards that had noticed their presence. They would have to vacate the area soon if they were to survive. "My apologize Alexandra," Ezio muttered. "But can you come here a second?"

Alexandra did as he asked, stepping into his embrace. She was still shaken up from the close call she had had moments before so she did not question why he wanted her close to him. Gazing up at his face she saw that his eyes looked around them like an eagle's searching for its next prey, or for predators that would challenge him. Everything about this man screamed dangerous – but she felt safest with him for obvious reasons. She felt him reaching around her, his hands encompassing her waist and pulling her close to his chest. Then, as she closed her eyes to take in the moment she suddenly felt the ground leave her feet. Opening her eyes she found them falling through the air, off of the wall they had been standing on. Angry shouts barely reached her ears as she looked up at Ezio with a shocked expression. She was too shocked to even scream, her face must have been amusing because as she looked at Ezio she saw a wide grin spreading across his bearded face. This caused her eyes to grow even wider; she had not seen him smile since she first came to this world. _It was stunning._ His smile also distracted her from the quickly approaching hay cart. Which enveloped their world in scratchy yellow grass, obscuring them from the view of any prying onlookers. Alexandra was clutching at Ezio's chest and trying to gain back her breath once again. The older man let out a sudden and unexpected laugh.

In retaliation to his laugh she punched his collar bone, her hand only met metal though so it actually hurt her more than him. "That was very mean! You did not even give me a warning!" She hissed quietly fearing that there where guards outside the hay cart.

"Nay, it was quite a smart move. You may have screamed if I had given you a warning." He was smiling and chuckling as he spoke, and for a moment they just laid there regaining their composure.

"So," Alexandra said softly. "We are out of the city?"

Ezio hummed. "Yes, we are also a decent way from the gates so it will take some time for foot soldiers to reach us. We should not remain here for long though." He looked at her with the smile fading but still very prominent. In return she smiled back.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about that any longer." She sighed grateful to be out of Rome. "I do not know if I want to go back to that place, ever."

"What if that is the only way back to your home?" Ezio asked as he untangled himself from Alexandra and the hay cart. She grew silent as he did so, and once he was out of the cart he helped her free herself from its clutches as well. In the pause he began to pick out the straws that hid throughout her hair, and commandeered cloak.

"I, don't know," Alexandra muttered, lifting her arms so that he could finish picking off the straw. She in turn began to do the same for him, having him spin around a bit so she could pick some off of his back. "I guess it is a priority, finding my way home. But I will also be honest Ezio. I want to learn about this place, I am scared, I don't understand what is happening but I want to learn." The Italian man turned back to her and held out a hand.

"Well, my _ragazzina_ it is honestly looking like you must learn of my world if you want to return to yours." Ezio smiled as she took his hand, they began to walk down a dirt road. Alexandra's feet felt gross in the mud but she ignored it when she noticed a stable not too far away from them.

"Are we taking a horse?" She asked, Ezio nodded and releasing his hand he went over and spoke to the stable hand. He then fetched a horse and brought the animal back to where Alexandra stood. "Do you expect me to ride it?"

Ezio placed his free hand on his hip. "I expect you to heave yourself on this beast and for me to steer it." Shaking his head the then looked at her with a serious stare. "Are you telling me you do not know how to ride a horse _ragazzina_?"

"Please stop calling me that, and no I have never ridden a horse in my life." Crossing her arms she stared back at Ezio who looked at her like she was some new born child.

"Well, this day does just get better and better." He muttered to himself and beckoned to her. "Come here my _ragazzina._ Let me get you on this thing." She huffed, and asked him to stop calling her a little girl again but came over to him regardless. He nearly threw her on top of the horse and laughed as she struggled to right herself. Ezio then climbed up behind her, reaching around Alexandra to securely hold the reigns of the horse. "Do hold on tight." He said, she reached down and grabbed hold of his legs as he kicked the animal and set it in motion towards the villa, his home, and towards probably one of the grandest arguments he would ever find himself in with his fellow Assassins. Having to explain the existence of Alexandra would prove troublesome, as well as trying to convince them to allow her to stay in the villa.

Alexandra gazed around the landscape which was rolling by them at a steady pace. It did not blur by like it would in a car, if it was like a car it would have been soothing to her. Instead the horse jerked them about and caused a bit of fear to bubble back in her chest. Alexandra had no control over what would become of her in the hours to come. She was in a world of which she had little to no knowledge over, and she could easily get killed. All of her trust was in a man which man which may not even stay at her side once the day was over. That frightened her, she had trusted Ezio with her life and the thought of being separated from him hurt. Returning her gaze back to the front of the animal she noticed a grand stone wall coming into view, its form assembling like smoke before her. That was when off to the side she noticed a hazy figure dressed in a white cloak. Alexandra turned her head to try to glimpse at the person, but they had vanished. Blinking she tried to shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

"Prepare yourself," Ezio said above her, calling over the horses heaving breath. "You are going to meet my family."

Alexandra was about to meet the Assassins guild.

Author's Footnotes: This is a re-write of my 2010 fanfiction The Creed. It was about 26 chapters long and each one will be rewritten. I have always planned on finishing this story and even with it being 2-3 arch's long I still plan on finishing it to the best of my ability. In the second chapter I will also be implementing certain foot notes in the bottom of the chapters so people know what they are saying in Italian.

Stay frosty my readers.


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